Things were going well - kids were reading Far Side books (Gary Larsen FTW!), I was working, library was quiet.

Until the Psycho Three Year Old arrived.

We're all familiar with the PTYO. In public places, this tiny but powerful being loves to assert his authority by screaming. Loudly. With gusto. For prolonged periods of time until people (me) start ovulating; misguidedly, but well-meaningly.

What I mean by that previous confusing sentence is this: I walked out of the library to the lobby where the PTYO was pitching a fit the likes of which I haven't seen since my kids were that age. So, a while. I nicely asked the grandma type if there was "anything I could do to help", which is polite speak for COULD YOU PLEASE SHUT THAT FREAKING KID UP.

After about five minutes of me reassuring her that she was doing the right thing by not giving in to his demands, I offered her my portable syringe of Valium and went my merry way. Yeah, if only - I save that for my OWN kids, not some crazy ankle biter that I just met!

Anyway, he's quiet now. My work is done.

I think the librarian has some grudging respect for me. She keeps looking over at me with something that looks like respect. But maybe her fish eye is just not all the way up to speed.

To see whether or not your city has been captured on film or not, go to Google Maps and select street view.

Google Maps shows which cities have been photographed or not.

Next drill down to your particular city and location by inputting the address, city and state or in the case of a specific landmark like the Golden Gate Bridge - just enter the landmark's name with or without the city

Click on the street view link and you will get a photograph which can then be tilted up and down or rotated 360 degrees to view different angles of the location Google has mapped.

In this case you can see the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco Bay and the San Francisco skyline all at once.

It appears to be a three-story building with a business in the bottom floor, some sort of オリエント (Oriental) restaurant or small grocery store. I can't recognize the kanji yet, though:

I love how all around are the high rise apartment buildings, and here you have this one little three-story sprouting up in the middle of a parking lot.

Taking photos of stuff on the other side of the world? Amazing!

edit: A friend on Zooomr explained that it's an 'Oriental dentist'. Intriguing.

Nu, met de Tour de France is Google ook Frankrijk en delen van Parijs beginnen mappen.

Klik door naar Google Maps, typ bv Parijs in en klik op de button Street View. Alle straten in het blauw zijn volledig in kaart gebracht.

Gewoon inzoomen op een straat / plaats, je positionneren en rondkijken...

Het ganse parcours van de Tour de France is in kaart gebracht...

O passeio em vídeo que eu fiz ficou um pouco limitado, mas agora o Google completou as imagens que faltavam para fazer um tour completo pelo campus da Apple. Confiram aqui.

I validated the Google Street View based viewshed and found the viewsheds were correct to about 350-425 meters. After that point the images in Google Street View became too pixilated to reliably view the location where the image terminated. In the left image, the area in red highlights the area I could not see in the Goolgle Images but could when in person.

In the example to the right I could see to about 425 meters to the north and the south, beyond that point it became too blurry in the images. When I went to the location, the terrain was very flat and I was able to see approximately 2,000 meters to the south and make out the highway underpass and overpass with the aid of ten power binoculars. Looking to the north the image probably extended at least 2,000 meters but became too hazy to tell where the view terminated.

It should be noted that the distance limitation attributed to the Google Street View images may be too conservative but it was furthest I felt comfortable extending the viewshed based on the pixilation and discernable features in the imagery. Also for the purpose of these viewsheds I am most concerned about being able to discern person or vehicle sized objects on the ground, so I ignore if I can see the tops of trees or buildings.

The digpros, as they are called in GOOG parlance, will walk the streets of Kathmandu for a total of 2 months or so. They have been specially trained for 3 weeks in and around San Francisco and are ready to take on the assignment. Our sleuth reporter Raf Valone could take some shots of two digpros, Ram Kumar Sagar and Dev Prasad Sagarmatha.

Each digpro is equipped with an iPhone so that Sergei can be kept updated. Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, is a little pissed about the iPhone solution but, hey, what can you do when the Google Dream Phone (Android) is going nowhere.

So here I am in my office at home, looking at your agapanthus and your strange, elasticless knickers hanging on your Hills Hoist. It’s a rather nice garden. Well, it would be if you had someone tow those two old car bodies from beside the driveway. Surely it’s about time you laid down the law regarding Jaysen’s old bangers? It’s lowering the tone of the neighbourhood – and you wouldn’t want that. And the lopsided old caravan he’s living in looks a bit of a mess out front, too. Doesn’t he earn enough to move into a nice little flat somewhere?

You really should get someone to mow your lawn. Your lazy, good-for-not-very-much husband, for instance. But I’m guessing he can’t, because I just happened to notice his car parked in front of the flats down near the SkankyMart. You know those flats ... where that fake-breasted, man-stealing, floozy from his work  just happens to live. Your Darren must be working overtime, then. Or weekends, seeing as the school carpark is empty, which means it’s not a weekday. Funny he’d be doing overtime though, seeing as you’ve always said he goes fishing with his mates on the weekends.  You think? Or maybe someone else has a car like Darren’s. A lime-green 1920s Crapmobile with personalised Dazza plates. Probably pretty common, you’re right.

And oh, look! If you have a bit of a hover with your mouse over the McFattyBuns carpark, isn’t that your BreeArne in the skimpy little belt skirt, talking to those bikers? She looks so happy, waving her cigarette and showing those men the tattoo on her left breast. (If you zoom in, you can see it’s a rather artful little scroll which says ‘Shag me and weep'.) You always said BreeArne was a poetic girl, and a friendly one, too.  She certainly looks friendly – those men can’t keep their hands off her. Maybe they’ll take her for a nice ride on their bikes. Maybe they’ll weep.

If you continue on to the park, you’ll be amazed to see your youngest, Dwayne. He’s with some other little mates, and they’re huddled around the picnic table which seems, on zooming, to have a contraption made of a plastic bottle and some garden hose set upon it. Dwayne and his friends look very relaxed and happy. It’s nice to see young people enjoying life and availing themselves of the fruits of nature. Trees and leaves are good. And grass is, too. I can’t help thinking that looks like my garden hose – some of which is missing.

BreeArne’s artistry obviously runs in the family, because down at the railway siding you might notice your older son, Jaysen. He has a spray aerosol in his hand ... and look, he’s made a mural! My goodness, you’ve brought up some public spirited young people, haven’t you? Jaysen seems to have recreated some of Hitler’s insignia – obviously as a sort of protest thingie, maybe. It’s excellent he’s so interested in history – and art. And that he’s merged the two. And that it’s all recorded for posterity. Lovely!

I can’t see you in your garden, though. You must have hung the dodgy knickers and gone inside to make a nice cuppa. It must be lovely to be able to rest and relax, knowing your family members are all happily occupied and getting the most out of life. Maybe you are at your computer, checking up on your family – just like I am. Ah, the wonders of technology!

That’s funny ... I’d never noticed before that you have a red light above your front door. Are you running an emergency medical centre? Surely not. Ooh, I wish we could have Google Night Street so I could see what you’re up to! Maybe you’re just partial to a pretty rose-coloured light flooding your agapanthus.

Or maybe half the men in the neighbourhood come around after dark and knock ... and weep.

.oOo.

Cue the Talking Heads. A dedicated Google Street View teams captures a fire at a house in Sherwood and keeps right on driving.

See it live here.

(Thanks to @Karlhills on Twitter for the heads up.)

More fun with Street View! Google team captures a drunk passed out on the lawn.

I'm seriously thinking about getting a garage door put on the car port so that I have some privacy. I know hardly anyone will Google me and if you drove down my street you'd see the same thing. But it does creep me out the fact that anyone in the world can find out exactly where you live. What's next. Live web cam?

Can you boycott Google? Pretty difficult. I know that people don't seem to care if every one knows every minutiae of their life, in fact it won't be long before the world the Ben Elton depicts in Blind Faith becomes a reality. Why don't we just Youtube our sex lives for all to see, our bowel movements, put our bank account details and passwords on line.

I am going to write a story in which a hermit holds a kid driving one of those fucking Google vans hostage. Maybe a sadistic cannibal hermit living in the tropics.

If you don't hear from me in a while it means I've moved and am trying to live life as a Luddite. Don't worry I'm vegetarian.

For those who know me in real life, please email me at my ISP account. Adios gmail.

Prima, per esempio, un molestatore o un rapitore che voleva fare un sopralluogo della zona dove si apprestava a compiere un reato doveva andarci di persona e raccogliere informazioni cercando di non farsi notare e con la paura di essere beccato. Oggi, grazie a Google, non occorre più.

Ma no, dicono quelli di Google: la privacy totale tanto non esisteva neanche prima, per cui tanto vale. Così qualcuno ha pensato di dare una dimostrazione degli effetti di Google Street View andando a caccia dei suoi creatori.

Il National Legal and Policy Center ha usato Google per andare a documentare in un simpatico PDF quali auto ha Larry Page, che targhe hanno, il nome della compagnia di manutenzione dei giardini di casa Page, il nome della società di servizi di sicurezza usata dal vicino di casa di Page, la distanza esatta dalla strada alla porta di casa di Larry Page e il suo probabile percorso abituale per recarsi in ufficio. Tutto in circa mezz'ora e senza spostarsi dal computer.

Privacy: quella cosa che non sai di avere e non sai quanto vale fino a quando qualcuno te la porta via.

This story is from "gizmodo.com" Visit gizmodo.com at gizmodo.com.

Ok, so I was looking at stories from my RSS feeds, and I found this.

But just so you know, they didn't take this image off, even though they go through and look at each on of them.  

Google StreetView has been a peculiar bird since its inception earlier this century. It's been blamed for voyeurism, the trampling of privacy rights, and other infractions, but then again it's also been known to capture a few nose pickers or two—so it's a wash as far as I'm concerned. Today, we received word it has some hot new imagery on its hands, literally. As in, this burning house on Eagle Point Drive in sunny Sherwood, Arkansas. [Google StreetViewvia J-Walk Blog]

~~I'm just shocked with-out words.

-KM

• This interesting guide covers all aspects of Google Earth, the freely downloadable application from Google that allows users to view satellite images from all points of the globe
• Aimed at a diverse audience, including casual users who enjoy air shots of locales as well as geographers, real estate professionals, and GPS developers
• Includes valuable tips on various customizations that users can add, advice on setting up scavenger hunts, and guidance on using Google Earth to benefit a business
• Explains modifying general options, managing the layer and placemark systems, and tackling some of the more technical aspects, such as interfacing with GPS
• There are more than 400,000 registered users of Google Earth and the number is still growing

Google Earth For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) is available at Amazon for $16.49. To Order click here
Amazon Product Pages contain a lot of other details on this product as Customer Reviews, Sales Ranking, Special Offers, Alternate products that customers are going for and much more.Want to read these details? click here

Want to get some other Format / Binding / Version? You can search for them from here

Other Products of Interest

• Google SketchUp For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
• Hacking GoogleMaps and GoogleEarth (ExtremeTech)
• Google Maps Hacks
• Beginning Google Maps Applications with PHP and Ajax: From Novice to Professional
• Off the Map: The Most Amazing Sights on Earth as Seen by Satellite

I can tell the photograph was taken several months ago because the house across the road is still being built, so that Google van must've passed by some time in the first half of this year.

A lot of people have a massive problem with Google Street View, just like people had a massive problem with Google Earth.

I don't really have a problem with it. In fact, I have less of a problem with Street View than Google Earth.

On Street View, you're only seeing what can be seen from the public domain, and therefore anything you see is what would be on display if you were driving around anyway. Google Earth however, takes a peek into peoples backyards (to an exaggerated extent) as well as company headquarters and surprise surprise, zones that are usually out of reach to the general public.

So unless I saw myself standing out the front picking my nose or pashing off with my neighbours wife, what would I really have to complain about?

http://thisdevilsworkday.wordpress.com/

In search of these answers, they sailed the high seas, faced starvation, disease and stared death in the face. These brave souls combatted the desire to return home and brokered peace with humans in new places (and killed quite a few of these natives too). These men forged new paths, new societies, crossing cultural and physical boundaries and created new ones for generations to follow.

In the last 24hrs, the inhabitants of Australia have just moved into unforeseen terrority. Actually, it might be seen terrority. Google has introduced street view for Google maps for Australia, which has literally put Australia on the map. Street view allows you to see an actual address using real images. Instead of seeing a traditinoal 2D line representing a street, you can see bricks and mortar - and concrete, trees, cars and people! You see the same view as if you were standing there. It is quite amazing. The trippiest thing is that it allows you to walk up and down the street, and do a 360 degree panoramic spin. Check out the corner of George St & Bathurst St, one of the busiest intersections in the city.

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com.au/maps/sv?cbp=1,165.09774354908336,,0,11.423361210637265&cbll=-33.874255,151.206782&panoid=Mbm7lZ92q43FW0U5x_-a2w&v=1&hl=en&gl=au&w=425&h=240]

I've used it before in New York and in San Fran, and its so handy. I was going to meet up with a friend in downtown San Fran near his work. Since I had never been there before, I had to look it up on a map. So I jumped onto Google street view and saw the actual building and the surroundings so I wouldn't get lost. It blew me away with the accuracy and realism.

There is also plenty of advertising opportunites available as well with virtual tours, virtual advertising, ability to have specific ads for certain street addresses. People now are able to leave reviews of a restaurant, comments about a bar, etc...

There's some more official info on it via Google's Australia blog. It takes realism to a whole new level. However, it also takes stalking to a whole new level as well. Google's politically correct line is that you are not seeing anything beyond what you would see if you were standing there yourself. It's true. but its just so ...... intrusive. Having the world at your fingertips and every location you would ever want.

I can just imagine a bank robber testifying in court saying how they used google street view to case a bank, study exit strategies, etc... Or potential terrorist targets being indentified.

On the brighter side, I also managed to follow the tour de france route along the Champ D Elysees, and had a look at the Arc D Triumph. Its still looks magnificent and brings back memories of when I stopped at the same traffic island and took a photo.

I'm out like regular street directories,

Matt.

Was watching World News on SBS when I saw a report about Google Street View. I'd never heard of it, but the reporter was saying that your house's street view could be visible in a Google Maps search if you selected street view. Just had to check that out! Typed in my address, clicked on street view and next thing you know I'm looking at my front fence and driveway -the image you see above! Freaked me out a bit I have to admit. It seems a little intrusive somehow.

Andrew Ramadge, from News.com.au wrote an article about Street View explaining what it is and how the images are collected;

Google Street View is an online tool that lets users take a virtual tour of landscapes from their computer by perusing an interactive database of millions of 360-degree snapshots.

The snapshots are taken by a fleet of cars fitted with special cameras that drive across the country, capturing images on every street corner and along every highway.

   He goes on to address security concerns that have been expressed and how Google hopes to overcome them;

In response to security concerns raised in the US, Google said last year its Street View service would not identify faces or license plates in Australia.

The company has recently introduced an automatic face-blurring technology designed to obscure the identities of people caught in the lens of Street View. Mr Shilkin said that the low resolution of images would prevent vehicle number plates from being identifiable.

Users can also report any Street View images they believe to be inappropriate through a link on the website. Mr Foster said it would take anywhere between a few minutes to "a day or so" to remove to offending images once they were reported.

Google have created a video explaining Street View for Australian audiences. I have to admit that after viewing this I warmed to the Street View concept. Good marketing Google! I like the fact that I and my students are now going to be able to visit places of interest and 'walk' our way around them. Imagine a class where you're explaining the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge or Opera House- you can take your students there to navigate your way around its surrounds.  If you have to find your way from one place to another you type in your start address and your finish address and the program will step out for you the course you need to take.  Geography classes just got a whole lot more interesting I think! Watch the video and make your own mind up about Street View.

(If you want to see how the camera works that took the street view pictures take a look at this popular mechanics article. Thanks to Simon Brown for tweeting about this)

Tjek det ud på her her!

Gå f.eks. en tur på South Beach i Miami eller gå over Golden Gate Bridge i San Francisco :)

Se guardiamo una, o come capita sempre d'estate, tutte le ipotesi descritte sopra, nessuno mai si è sognato di ribellarsi sull'uso indiscriminato, e senza ritocchi digitali, delle immagini video e fotografiche che girano in tv e in rete a scapito della "privacy". Solamente perché è una cosa normale che d'estate, col caldo che fa con la gente che va in vacanza e tutto il resto, sia in tv che in rete si trovano informazioni del genere, addirittura come primo servizio per il semplice motivo che il periodo scarseggia di notizie rilevanti.

Facciamo al contrario. Se invece in inverno in tv e su internet fanno vedere un mega incidente in autostrada con decine di auto e camion coinvolti, decine di feriti e magari qualche morto; se si vedono le immagini delle corse in macchina e in moto dei soliti bulli nel fine settimana, e possibilmente sono stati ripresi e arrestati dalla polizia, nemmeno in quel caso ci si appella alla mancanza di privacy per i volti delle persone in chiaro, le targhe dei mezzi visibili da lontano un miglio, feriti sanguinolenti caricati sulle ambulanze e i poliziotti che seguono i rilevamenti sulla scena del crimine: nemmeno in questo caso ci si inalbera per la privacy violata. Quindi il problema non è solamente estivo perché mancano le notizie, ma è universalmente riconosciuto in qualsiasi stagione: è una cosa assai normale.

Ho letto qualche giorno fa che il Garante della Privacy ha messo i paletti sull'uso di Google Street View nelle strade italiane: volti camuffati elettronicamente, targhe alterate per renderle irriconoscibili, mimetizzazione del comportamento umano e informazione adeguata sull'uso delle Google Car. Regole esaustive per rispettare la privacy altrui. Esattamente come giusto che sia in questi casi.

Una domanda: avete mai visto i volti delle persone alterati, le voci camuffate durante le interviste, il bollino rosso sui "comportamenti umani" delle coppiette che si sbaciucchiano in fila ai musei o ai concerti, le targhe rese "invisibili" durante le riprese ai caselli, i feriti sulle ambulanze "senza volto", i morti senza nome e cognome, tutto per renderli irriconoscibili e non violare la loro privacy? Io pochissime volte, come credo anche voi.

Allora perché per Google Street View vale la "regola della privacy violata" e per la tv e sui siti di foto/video sharing la stessa regola non è attuata? Qual è sbagliata, quella di Google o quella della tv e del web? Riuscite a farmi capire dove sta la differenza?

La compañía declaró que en el mundo moderno no puede haber expectativa de privacidad.

"Hoy en día, la tecnología de imagen de satélite significa que, incluso en el desierto, la privacidad no existe. En cualquier caso, los demandantes viven lejos del desierto y están lejos de ser ermitaños", añadieron, según el diario El Mundo.

La pareja demandó al buscador porque el servicio 'Street View' de ese buscador permitía a cualquier internauta ver una foto de su calle y de su casa.

En la demanda presentada el pasado 2 de abril, Aaron y Christine Boring señalaron que la inclusión de una foto de su casa en el servicio 'Street View' de Google les ha causado "sufrimiento mental" y ha reducido el valor de su casa, que adquirieron en 2006 por "una considerable cantidad de dinero".

La pareja pide una indemnización de 25.000 dólares (16.000 euros) y la destrucción de las imágenes de su vivienda. Al poco tiempo, Google comenzó a tapar las caras de los transeúntes, tras éste y otros problemas

2. Techcrunch - Delicious 2.0 Launches. Really. It Totally Launched.
My social bookmarking site of choice gets a revamp

3. BBC News - The power of female blogging
The women blogosphere is alive, well and growing

4. EMarketer - Are Short Videos Best for the Web?
A study into video on the web

5. Read/Write Web - Study: Women Outnumber Men on Most Social Networks

6. Webware - Google Street View is approved for the U.K.
Big brother nation is one step closer

7. PSFK - Has Apple Helped Create The Real Web 2.0?
Interesting article about the iPhone's influence